Paul Stanley Says KISS Can Go On Without Him

KISS frontman Paul Stanley says he's not sure the band will ever come to an end, even after he's gone.

"We've built something that's so iconic, and I think it transcends any of the members," Stanley, 66, told Billboard. "So I can certainly see me not being there, seriously.

“There was a time where people said it had to be the four of us, and those people are already 50 percent wrong. So I'm betting [another absence] could be overcome, too.”

Since the mid-'80s, Stanley and Simmons have required their hired-guns to dress in the same costumes that Ace Frehley and Peter Criss did when the band initially donned its stage personas.

Simmons said last year that he questioned whether KISS could continue touring into their 70s.

"We'll do it for a few more years, and then when we think it's time to go, we'll go," Simmons, 68, told Glasgow Live. "And we'll do it the right way: with a big party."

That's not quite the franchise model Stanley seems to be suggesting, but it doesn't rule it out either.

KISS' original members are all still around.

Criss retired from performing last summer. Frehley has returned to good graces with Simmons and Stanley, having collaborated with them numerous times over past few years. Earlier this month, the former KISS lead guitarist joined Simmons at an appearance in Miami.